A 69-year-old Cullman woman died Thursday night after she was struck by two separate vehicles while crossing Second Avenue Northwest, also known as U.S. Highway 31, in the heart of downtown. Donna Butler was walking west across the roadway when a white Infiniti G37X traveling south struck her, and a Ford F-150 hit her moments later.
Police said officers responded at approximately 9:21 p.m. on Oct. 1 to the collision, according to cullmantribune.com. Cullman County Coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick identified the victim as Donna Butler, 69, per the same outlet's reporting.
According to ABC 33/40, the Infiniti was traveling south on Second Avenue Northwest when it struck Butler as she walked west across the road. After that initial collision, police said a Ford F-150 also hit her. Butler was taken to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries, the station reported.
Traffic Homicide Unit Takes Over the Case
The Cullman Police Department's Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the crash, according to wbrc.com. Police have not released the names of either driver or said whether any citations have been issued.
Cullman police told the Cullman Tribune that the case remains open. “This remains an ongoing investigation, and these are all of the details that will be released at this time,” the department said, per cullmantribune.com's reporting.
A Stretch of Highway With a Painful History
Butler's death adds to a string of pedestrian fatalities in Cullman County in recent years. In November 2025, a woman was struck by at least one vehicle on Lessman Street Southwest near Parker Avenue Southwest in Cullman at approximately 9:55 p.m., according to the Cullman Tribune. In August 2023, a pedestrian was killed after being hit by an SUV on U.S. 31 near Jochum Road, about a mile south of Hanceville, as reported by al.com.
No further details have been released about what led up to Thursday night's collision on Highway 31, and police have indicated the investigation is ongoing.
